Josephine County approves $1.76 million invoice for airport runway work amid split vote
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Summary
The Board of Commissioners approved payment of a contractor invoice for the airport runway extension, using a short-term line of credit pending FAA reimbursement; the measure passed 2-1 after debate over timing and funding.
Josephine County commissioners voted 2-1 on Oct. 28 to approve payment of a contractor invoice tied to the county airport runway extension project. The invoice, identified in the meeting as $1,763,747.10, is to be paid immediately with county funds and reimbursed later when federal grants arrive.
The measure drew discussion about whether the board should delay approval until the next weekly business session or approve now because the work is complete and funding reimbursements are imminent. The airport manager told the board that grant paperwork has been or will be filed within days and that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) understands the project schedule; the county expects FAA reimbursement in the weeks ahead. To cover the contractor payment now, staff said the county would use a line of credit and then repay it when the grant funds arrive.
Commissioners pressed staff about timing, contract terms and which county accounts would be used. County staff confirmed approximately half the invoice will be covered from funds the airport has been saving and the remainder will be covered temporarily via a county line of credit and repaid on receipt of FAA funds. A motion to approve payment of the invoice passed on a 2-1 vote.
Why it matters: the runway extension is a capital project with a large contractor invoice and associated grant reimbursement. Approving payment now ensures contractor invoices are satisfied and the work is not delayed, but uses short-term county financing while awaiting federal reimbursement.
What happened next: the board directed staff to proceed with the payment and to continue tracking the FAA reimbursement schedule; commissioners asked staff to return with any documentation needed to show drawdown and repayment timing.
Votes at a glance: the motion to approve payment of the airport invoice passed 2-1. The meeting record does not attribute each yes/no explicitly in the spoken roll call; the tally recorded in the minutes is 2 yes, 1 no.
Meeting context: the item was raised earlier in the meeting as time-sensitive; initial discussion considered moving the invoice to the next weekly business session, but staff and the manager described timing constraints and grant reimbursement expectations.